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You probably have read St. Jerome’s most monumental work, but don’t know that you’ve read…at least parts of it…
St. Jerome (~340 – 420) was a 4th century influencer whose writing, theological ideas and translations resulted in him being declared one of the four Doctors of the Western Church by Pope Boniface VIII in the 13th century. Some of the “criteria” for being declared a Doctor of the Church are: significant theological contributions through writing, study and research. St. Jerome’s feast day was recently celebrated in the Roman Catholic Church on September 30th.
Important Contributions
St. Jerome’s corpus of work, over his 80-year life, includes works on the Bible, commentaries, treatises, and letters on various topics including the refutation of popular heresies of the time, such as the Arian heresy; and also, a defense of the doctrine of the perpetual virginity of Mary. However, his most treasured contribution to the faith is considered to be his translation of the Old and New Testaments from Hebrew and Greek, respectively, into Latin in 405 A.D. This translation was deemed to be authoritative and became known as “the Vulgate” version of the Bible, the official Bible of the Roman Church. This work made the Bible accessible to the common people of ancient Rome; and, as such, the title “Vulgate” comes from the Latin “editio vulgate” (“common version”). The Vulgate is considered to be, probably, the most important translation of the Bible in that it was the source of virtually all later translations for over 1,000 years.
Life History of St. Jerome
Saint Jerome was born at Stridon, a town in Dalmatia (modern day Croatia). His early education in argument and rhetoric, along with becoming familiar with both Latin and Greek literature set the stage for his future endeavors. At around age 12, he went to Rome to study, and there he was baptized by Pope Liberius. After Rome, he received a theological education at Trier, Germany and then went to a monastery in Aquileia (ancient Roman city in Italy) which had some of the greatest Christian minds of the time. In 373, he made a journey to the East which included a 4-year period of ascetics in the desert of Chalcis in Syria where he may have further refined his thinking on the importance of a simple and disciplined life which were the topics of several of his writings. He was ordained a priest in Antioch around 380 A.D. and then traveled to Constantinople before going back to Rome. Over this time, he became close to Pope Damasus I working as his personal adviser. He was forced out of Rome, by some of the enemies created by his polemical approach, when Pope Damasus died. Jerome then went to Bethlehem to a convent founded by two Roman ladies, Paula and Eustochium, where he led a life of ascetism and scholarly study. Saint Jerome died on September 30th, 420 at Bethlehem. His remains were later disinterred and now lie in the Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome. Read about this church at https://www.catholic365.com/article/20459/the-church-of-the-summer-snowfall-in-rome-st-mary-major.html
Iconography and Symbolism of St. Jerome
Many aspects of Saint Jerome’s life can be viewed in the iconography of the great Doctor of the Church. He is usually shown with a beard to his mid-chest; and many times, depicted as a Cardinal with a red cape, although Saint Jerome shunned a life in the church hierarchy, preferring instead the ascetic life of a monk. Since the title of Cardinal did not exist until decades after Saint Jerome’s death, it is understood that the Cardinal outfitting referred to his service as an advisor to Pope Damasus I. Another common view of Saint Jerome is with a stone used for beating his bear breast to recall his life of prayer and fasting during his four years in the desert. Of course, many images show Saint Jerome working in his library full of books, along with other common articles such as a Crucifix, the red Cardinal hat and garments, writing implements, a candle and eyeglasses.
More About St. Jerome and a St. Jerome Catholic Church
Read more about St. Jerome at https://churchwonders.com/2021/09/29/st-jerome-ascetic-and-doctor-of-the-church/ and see a special church under the patronage of St. Jerome at https://churchwonders.com/churches-shrines/california-churches/st-jerome-catholic-church-el-cerrito-ca/
J. John is a Catholic church enthusiast who writes about churches that he has visited (or hopes to) - the places where the physical and the sacred intersect. His content gravitates toward the architecture, artifacts, art and history of the sites; as well as the related saints, devotions and liturgical aspects of the venues.
If you have a favorite church, shrine or sacred space, he'd love to hear from you!
Website: https://churchwonders.com
Email: info@churchwonders.com
